Sage follows Landry Minor, a friendless, depressed and politically defeated former Northwest Oklahoma sheriff. Landry has taken revenge against his community by robbing the community bank after community members betrayed him by believing lies spread about him and voting him out of his office. However, despite his clean getaway, he regrets his choice and needs the help of four other local characters to undo his crime before anyone is the wiser.
Praise for Sage
“A fun read from someone who loves Western Oklahoma.”
- Woodward County Commissioner Troy White
“I am so impressed and not sure I can wait too long for the sequel, “Man on a Cloud”.”
- Chassity Hamilton
“Rachael’s ability to write descriptively allows the reader to feel like they are right there and it’s happening to them.”
- Virgil Sanders
“Such a captivating narrative by a gifted writer that has a beautiful ending with the harmony of the characters involved.”
- Sharon Meier
Acknowledgements
When someone detonates a suicide vest to kill you and about 235 of your battle-buddies in a foreign country, suddenly it’s much easier to tell the stark difference between who is your friend and who is your enemy.
These days though, in more average circumstances, it’s getting hard to know, especially in the civilian world. In what most people call “regular life”, we often use hyperbole to describe our workplace. We say things like, “We are a family here,” and other misleading statements to remove the sting of the arbitrary truth – that most of the people we will meet in our lives are not our friends and were never meant to be. In so doing, we cheapen words like “family” and “friend” and we lose the sharp edges and fine points about what those words are really supposed to mean.
Friends are people who show up in your life no matter what is happening in their own lives. They are people who wish good for you. When your name crosses their lips while conversing with others, it is to compliment you or call attention to something you accomplished for which they are proud or impressed.
Friends are those who show up to help you when you find yourself in a terrible place or circumstance, even if you caused the circumstance yourself.
A friend is someone who will hold you lovingly accountable for growth and who will amp that pressure up if you are really messing up in life or harming others. Sometimes the best friend you have is the one who gathers the courage to tell you that if you cannot grow and change and become a better version of yourself, they will always love you but will not be able to actively participate in your life anymore.
Make no mistake about it; anyone you call a friend who does not meet that criteria, is not your friend. They are an acquaintance or professional ally or even a family member – but not someone in your inner circle.
“Sage” is a story about some characters who find out what it really means to call each other friend. My characters are based on many people, both public and private, who call Northwest Oklahoma home. Perhaps those from Northwest Oklahoma will recognize some of the imperfect, rich and complex characters that show up in these pages.
Many thanks must go out to those in my life who showed up for me. These are people who held me accountable, who loved me even when I was not very lovable and who still show up in my life with unconditional love, truth – even when it’s painful – and with their time, which is the richest of all gifts.
Chapters
